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Automotive News is reporting that Audi is set to lay down $1.1 billion to purchase Ducati from the motorcycle manufacturer’s current owner, Investindustrial. The news comes courtesy of a source “familiar with the matter,” though neither Audi nor Investindustrial have officially commented on whether that price is accurate. As Automotive News points out, the price is around seven times what Ducati earned last year before interest, taxes and depreciation – even after subtracting any debt Ducati holds. Currently, the motorcycle maker’s liabilities are less than $262.6 million.

Most analysts view the purchase as a thinly veiled jab at rival BMW, itself a longtime motorcycle builder. Last year, the Italian firm sold somewhere in the neighborhood of 42,000 bikes with a revenue of $630 million. While that’s technically more than either Bugatti or Lamborghini, both Volkswagen brands, adding a motorcycle manufacturer to the VW portfolio probably won’t do much for the rest of the company’s brands. Longtime industry watchers may remember that VW Chairman Ferdinand Piech tried to purchase Ducati once before in 2008 before loosing out to Investedindustrial.

Audi deal to buy Ducati valued at $1.1B

When you think of major car auctions, you probably think of Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale. That’s the one that came to mind for us, which is why we sent Jessi and Patrick to experience its sights and sounds this past January.

Not only did they come away with what it’s like to be inside the big tents of Barrett-Jackson on the company’s biggest day of the year, they also followed the experiences of several sellers, all of whom were counting on six- and seven-figure prices for their precious pieces of metal. Did they leave the Grand Canyon State with smiles on their faces? Scroll down and watch the latest episode of The List to find out.

Click here to watch The List #0041: Attend A Major Car Auction.

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Continue reading The List #0041: Attend A Major Car Auction

The List #0041: Attend A Major Car Auction

With over a billion people, the Indian market holds huge potential for any automaker. In fact, Suzuki makes a dedicated range of vehicles on the subcontinent specifically for the local market under the Maruti banner, and this is their latest.

Dubbed Ertiga, it’s essentially a lengthened Swift hatchback “Life Utility Vehicle,” or what would conventionally be called an MPV (Multiple Passenger Vehicle).

Call it what you will, Maruti Suzuki has managed to fit three rows of seating into the stretched Swift for seven-passenger accommodation. Launching locally in India prior to export to neighboring markets like Indonesia in the aim to take market share away from the Toyota Avanza and Mahindra Xylo, the Ertiga takes advantage of huge economies of scale by sharing basic components with the Swift and the Dzire sedan which Maruti builds on the same platform.

Buyers in India will be able to choose between three trim levels, two engines (gas or diesel) and seven colors, but they’ll have to justify spending six or seven times the price of a Tata Nano to do so – but then again, that’s true of most cars. Take a closer look in our gallery above and scroll down for the official press release with more information.

Continue reading Maruti Suzuki stretches Swift into new Ertiga

Maruti Suzuki stretches Swift into new Ertiga

There’s an old newspaper adage that dictates: “Dog bites man” is not news. “Man bites dog,” now that’s news. In other words, the subversion of the usual order of things is what sells papers. And you might say the same about Cadillac. A Caddy getting bigger, by that logic, is hardly news, but a Caddy getting smaller sure is.

That’s what makes the new ATS such a big step for the top-end of the General Motors brand portfolio. Occupying the place once taken by the Catera (which led to the CTS), that model now has to kick up a size to make room for its new baby brother. And so it appears to be doing.

These spy shots show what our intrepid auto paparazzi say is the next-gen CTS, applying the same Art & Science design language to a slightly larger form that’s expected to switch from the Sigma II platform to a stretched version of The General’s new rear-drive Alpha architecture.

In between the camouflage we can make out a new grille, projector headlamps with LED daytime runners, with radar sensors aplenty and dual exhaust tips around the back. Sources expect a 2.0-liter turbo four to come in with 270 horsepower as the base engine in the new CTS, with the 3.6-liter V6 also expected to be on offer as well as a turbo six sometime after production kicks off at Lansing Grand River Assembly in September 2013.

Cadillac spotted testing bigger next-gen CTS

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has issued a bulletin for the recall of the 2010 Can-Am Spyder RT to rectify an issue with its brakes. A pin in the brake pedal connecting rod on 3,259 units potentially affected could come loose; if that happens, total loss of braking is possible.

Bombardier Recreational Products, maker of the three-wheeled Can-Am Spyder, is notifying owners. Dealers will replace the pins in question free of charge. Scroll down for the official word and more information from NHTSA.

Continue reading Bombardier recalls 3,200 Can-Am Spyder RT trikes over brake failure fears

Bombardier recalls 3,200 Can-Am Spyder RT trikes over brake failure fears

Kia has released the first commercial for the upcoming K9. The flagship sedan is set for a South Korean launch later this year, and details are beginning to emerge about the big four door. Power is said to come from either a 296 horsepower 3.3-liter V6 or a 3.8-liter V6 with 329 hp. The model will also be a showcase for new tech, including adaptive LED headlights that not only track with the steering mechanism but also adjust with the vehicle’s speed to give the driver a greater field of view.

Indoors, a full-color heads-up display provides plenty of pertinent information, and an epic 12.3-inch screen in the dash handles the entertainment interface. Judging from the three photos released alongside the new ad, the K9 will also feature a gear lever inspired by the likes of BMW. Here’s hoping the Kia piece is a bit more intuitive. Scroll down to check out the ad for yourself.

Continue reading Kia K9 flagship gets first commercial, trio of interior shots

Kia K9 flagship gets first commercial, trio of interior shots

Rumor has it Porsche may produce a performance version of the upcoming Macan. Autocar reports the German manufacturer is working on a Macan Turbo that may be good for as much as 370 horsepower thanks to an all-new twin-turbo V6 engine. The article suggests the 3.0-liter mill will borrow heavily from the 3.6-liter unit found in the base Panamera and Cayenne. That would mean the cylinders will be arranged in a 90-dergree V configuration. Torque output would likely be in the neighborhood of 400 pound-feet.

Autocar also hints that the vehicle will be available with either a seven-speed PDK gearbox or a new seven-speed manual transmission converted from the piece found in the 911. We certainly like the idea of a row-your-own crossover, but we’re not entirely sure how that will work given that the Macan rides on the Volkswagen large front-wheel drive platform. Even with a Torsen differential shuttling power to the rear wheels, that’s a significantly different configuration than the company’s rear-engine sports car.

Of course, all of these whispers come without so much as a hint of a source attached to them, so it remains to be seen exactly how much is true. Look for the Macan to touch down in October.

Porsche Macan to get 370-horsepower turbo model?

Drivers of 2010-2011 Rolls Royce Ghost models and several BMW models with turbocharged engines need to get their vehicles to their dealers. The cars are being recalled for a potentially hazardous defect that could turn their high-end autos into smoldering hunks of less luxurious melted plastic and steel.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says the circuit boards on the cars’ water pump could overheat and possibly catch fire.

The 2011 BMW models affected are the 5 Series and 5 Series Gran Turismo. 2012 models are the 6 Series, 7 Series, X5 and X6. All affected models have either the turbocharged V8 or V12. NHTSA says the number of BMWs affected is 2,846. About 60 Rolls Royce Ghosts will be recalled.

The recall is nearly identical to one announced last November that recalled 2010 Rolls Royce Ghosts. This campaign seems to address the same problem that plagued 2011 models.

Continue reading BMW, Rolls-Royce issue recall over smoldering circuit boards

BMW, Rolls-Royce issue recall over smoldering circuit boards

Economies of scale, globalization and production efficiencies continue to exacerbate any disruptive incident in an automaker’s supply chain. The latest snafu is due to a fatal explosion at Germany’s Evonik Industries, which arrested that company’s ability to produce cyclodecatriene (CDT). In turn, the production of the resin Vestamid Polyamide 12 (PA-12) is threatened by the loss of CDT, one of its key components. And a crimp in PA-12 supplies threatens the manufacture of crucial components like brake-line coatings and flexible hoses.

Auto-industry analysts have described the issue as “serious,” but no one, including automakers and suppliers, is sure of how grave the issue will be. Michigan-based Tier One carmaker supplier TI Automotive is hosting a conference later this month with competitors and carmakers to discuss the issue. The major car manufacturers have said they are monitoring the situation, but no disruptions have been planned for yet.

Resin shortage could snarl auto production

We’ve never been falsely accused of a traffic violation, having earned every last second of our time before a judge, but when it does happen to us, we’ll certainly want to brush up on our physics. Dmitiri Krioukov, a physicist with the University of California, recently pleaded his way out of a fine for rolling through a stop sign using the power of mathematics. Krioukov worked up a four-page physics paper underscoring the differences between linear and angular motion to prove that he could have theoretically come to a complete stop and resumed traveling in the time it took another vehicle to pass between him and the citing officer.

The idea is that perception of speed can be altered depending on one’s viewpoint. Since the officer viewed Krioukov from the side and the physicist supposedly came to a complete stop very quickly before accelerating again just as fast, it appeared as if he never stopped at all. Or at least that was the notion. Whether or not the judge believed the professor didn’t matter so much as the fact that Krioukov managed to shed some doubt on the accusation. He was declared innocent and spared the $400 fine.

But the story doesn’t end there. The physicist left a flaw in his proof, and has invited everyone to see if they can figure it out. From our layman’s point of view, it appears Krioukov’s Toyota Yaris managed to fall from 22 mph to 0 and vault back up to 22 in the span of three seconds. Must be quite the machine. You can check out the full paper here.

Professor beats traffic ticket with physics paper

We’ve never been falsely accused of a traffic violation, having earned every last second of our time before a judge, but when it does happen to us, we’ll certainly want to brush up on our physics. Dmitiri Krioukov, a physicist with the University of California, recently pleaded his way out of a fine for rolling through a stop sign using the power of mathematics. Krioukov worked up a four-page physics paper underscoring the differences between linear and angular motion to prove that he could have theoretically come to a complete stop and resumed traveling in the time it took another vehicle to pass between him and the citing officer.

The idea is that perception of speed can be altered depending on one’s viewpoint. Since the officer viewed Krioukov from the side and the physicist supposedly came to a complete stop very quickly before accelerating again just as fast, it appeared as if he never stopped at all. Or at least that was the notion. Whether or not the judge believed the professor didn’t matter so much as the fact that Krioukov managed to shed some doubt on the accusation. He was declared innocent and spared the $400 fine.

But the story doesn’t end there. The physicist left a flaw in his proof, and has invited everyone to see if they can figure it out. From our layman’s point of view, it appears Krioukov’s Toyota Yaris managed to fall from 22 mph to 0 and vault back up to 22 in the span of three seconds. Must be quite the machine. You can check out the full paper here.

Professor beats traffic ticket with physics paper

We’re almost ready to record Episode #278 of the Autoblog Podcast with David Kiley of Autoblog and AOL Autos joining us, and you can check out the topics below, add your own to the Q&A and join us live via UStream, as well, and we’ve embedded our UStream player after the jump. Thanks for listening!

Discussion Topics for Autoblog Podcast Episode #278

• Dodge Dart pricing
• Next Mustang to be non-retro?
• Is Chevrolet preparing an Impala SS?
• NHTSA proposes brake override system mandate

Continue reading Autoblog Podcast #278 goes LIVE at 10PM Eastern

Autoblog Podcast #278 goes LIVE at 10PM Eastern

What would a superhero movie be without the fancy cars? Well, it would still be a superhero movie, we suppose, but we prefer the kind that has some flashy wheels. Like the upcoming Marvel flick The Avengers.

As you may have heard, Acura signed a multi-picture deal with Marvel to have its cars featured in a series of superhero movies, and indeed several already have. But for The Avengers, Acura had to work up something special enough to replace Tony Stark’s Audi R8. Since the old NSX was long out of production when they began shooting and the new one wasn’t ready yet, the Japanese automaker and the film studio put together something of a hybrid.

Not a hybrid as we tend to use the term in automotive spheres, but an amalgamation of the old NSX and the new one. They took a 1991 NSX and gave it a new roadster body to mimic the concept car that’s been making the rounds of the auto show circuit.

Our compatriots over at Inside Line got a behind-the-scenes look at the roadster, along with the kitted-out MDX crossover and a TL with a similar treatment. Scroll down to watch the video clips they put together, and the corresponding article here.

Continue reading Inside Line snags drive of Acura NSX Roadster from The Avengers

Inside Line snags drive of Acura NSX Roadster from The Avengers

We’re not so sure how scientific its poll was, but an online dating service that calls itself the U.K.’s largest for married people says that men who cheat on their wives are twice as likely to drive a BMW than any other brand of car.

According to NineMSN.com, Illicit Encounters points to the “intrinsic link between success and cheating” to explain the connection between Bimmers and adultery. Some 19 percent of the dating website’s members drive a BMW, including 11 percent of the women who responded to the survey, according to the report. Coming in second on the survey was Audi, with Mercedes-Benz a close third. While BMW may not be outwardly proud of this “victory,” we’re sure at least someone in Munich is glad to have bested its German rivals.

Speaking of which, scroll down to watch a classic Mercedes commercial about a “happily married” couple.

Continue reading BMW owners twice as likely to be adulterers as drivers of other brands

BMW owners twice as likely to be adulterers as drivers of other brands

Ward’s AutoWorld is well known for its annual “10 Best Engines” list, but the trade publication has been compiling a second list for interiors for a few years now. Formerly known as the “Interior of the Year” competition, Ward’s rebranded the list last year, naming the coolest cockpits under the “10 Best Interiors” moniker.

This year’s winners are a relatively diverse lot, with hatchbacks, sedans and crossovers all making the list. While Ward’s lists them in alphabetical order rather than crowning a single winner, we’re choosing to present them with the lowest as-tested MSRP first:

• Hyundai Accent ($15,925)
• Chevrolet Sonic ($18,745)
• Dodge Dart ($21,485)
• Volkswagen Beetle ($25,195)
• Mazda CX-5 ($30,415)
• Hyundai Azera ($36,875)
• Chrysler 300 Luxury ($44,855)
• Range Rover Evoque ($49,745)
• Infiniti JX35 ($54,800)
• Audi A7 ($67,430)

The first thing we noticed then is that while fully half the models carrying base sticker prices under $25,000, Ward’s was clearly not testing the base models of any of these vehicles. The Chevy Sonic, for instance, starts nearly $5,000 below the price of the car Ward’s drove. Even so, that half of the cars on the list could be legitimately called “affordable” is impressive.

Ward’s says 40 vehicles qualified for the competition by having “new or significantly improved interiors,” and while 13 of those were luxury vehicles, they only made up half of the winners. Ward’s says it judged the interiors based on design, fit-and-finish, comfort, ergonomics, safety, material selection, overall value, aesthetics, and human-machine interface.

Check out all the award winners in our high-res image gallery above.

Ward’s selects the 10 best interiors of 2012

It turns out Jay Leno shops for classic cars just like the rest of us do: by wasting untold hours drooling over occasionally perusing BringaTrailer.com. The comedian and host of The Tonight Show recently took a shine to a memorable 1963 Ford Falcon Sprint shown on the site, and it wasn’t long before a few phone calls were made. Now the previous owner can say he sold a car to one of the world’s most well-known collectors, and Leno will have a very-cool Falcon in his Big Dog Garage.

So, what made this particular coupe worthy of such admiration? The ‘63 had undergone significant revision at the hands of the previous owner and builder, including a substantial weight reduction, suspension tweaks with input from the gurus at Koni, along with a fully blueprinted 302 V8. With an aluminum intake and heads as well as a lightweight T5 transmission, the seller claims to have plucked around 200 pounds from the vehicle’s nose.

The idea was to build the car in the image of the Holman Moody Falcons that once competed in the legendary Monte Carlo Rally. Head over to BaT for both the initial sale listing story and the tale of Leno’s buying.

Jay Leno’s garage grows by one thanks to BaT

The 2013 Porsche Cayenne Diesel finally rolled out for North American buyers at the New York Auto Show earlier this month, and the oil-burning V6 that we’ll be able to purchase this September musters 240 horsepower and 406 pound-feet of torque shifted through an eight-speed automatic. The more important numbers are 28 miles per gallon, a 740-mile range, and a 7,716-pound tow rating when you need to realign the Earth’s crust.

Our friends across the water have been enjoying this model for three years already, and while we’re getting used to our first taste of torquey Porsches, the Europeans appear set to receive a second helping: a new report in Car and Driver asserts that Porsche will add a V8 diesel to Euro markets “in the near future.” Naturally, don’t even think about it coming here.

C/D posits two options for which diesel it will get called up: the 4.2-liter diesel V8 used in the Audi A8 or possibly a brand-new diesel that Porsche could share with Bentley.

Porsche Cayenne Diesel to get two more cylinders, albeit not in U.S.

So is it time to start the Suzuki dead pool? Automotive News seems to think so. While the newspaper doesn’t go as far as suggesting that Suzuki is not long for the American market, it has compiled a depressingly long list of signs that the company is on its last legs here.

Among the many signs that Suzuki is hurting, the most damning might be what’s happening with its dealer body. The report says the brand dropped 32 stores last year, roughly 12 percent, and that it is down to 246 total dealerships in the States. But of those, 150 sell five or fewer cars per month. That would explain why Suzuki only sold 26,618 cars last year, according to AN.

Other signs of distress include sluggish sales so far this year, not exhibiting at the most recent Detroit and Los Angeles auto shows, cutting off their deal for J.D. Power customer satisfaction data, and a lack of marketing leadership or initiative, according to the report.

While Suzuki’s product lineup is among the smallest and oldest in the industry, that seems to be the least of the brand’s troubles. Heck, even we kind of like the Kizashi.

Trouble signs keep piling up for Suzuki

We record Episode #278 of the Autoblog Podcast tonight, and we’re joined by David Kiley of Autoblog and AOL Autos. Drop us your questions via our Q&A module below, and chime in to direct our conversation. Our main focus will be recapping what we saw at the New York Auto Show, but who knows where the conversation will take us! Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes if you haven’t already done so, and if you want to take it all in live, tune in to our UStream (audio only) channel at 10:00 PM Eastern tonight.

Discussion Topics for Autoblog Podcast Episode #278

• Dodge Dart pricing
• Next Mustang to be non-retro?
• Is Chevrolet preparing an Impala SS?
• NHTSA proposes brake override system mandate

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Submit your questions for Autoblog Podcast #278 LIVE

We see tribute vehicles come and go. Most of the lot are slaves to every last detail of the original, offering little more than a few engine upgrades to the mix. Then there are beasts like the one above. Built as an homage to Parnelli Jones’ 1971 “Big Oly” Ford Bronco Baja 1,000 bruiser, this machine uses a modern trophy truck chassis wrapped in larger-than life fiberglass first-generation Bronco body. With 723 horsepower on tap, the truck is fully capable of bashing the desert into submission. Owner Marshall Mardruga originally built the machine to tackle the Baja 1,000, but decided to turn it into a show truck instead.

Every visible component was then plated in brass or nickel and protected with a clear powder coat in preparation for SEMA 2011. If you like what you see, this machine can be yours for a heady sum. Available in San Diego, California via eBay Motors, the street-legal tribute commands a $535,000 Buy It Now price. You can see the auction here or scroll below to check out a few videos.

Continue reading eBay Find of the Day: Parnelli Jones 1971 “Big Oly” Ford Bronco tribute [w/video]

eBay Find of the Day: Parnelli Jones 1971 “Big Oly” Ford Bronco tribute [w/video]